Toronto Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo had harsh words Monday for his team's former forward, Chris Bosh who, like James, joined the Miami Heat as a free agent this offseason.
Colangelo criticized Bosh's recovery time from a recent injury and questioned whether Bosh was mentally focused in the latter stages of a 40-42 season that saw the Raptors miss the playoffs by a single game.
“Despite limited swelling and any excessive damage on an MRI, he felt like he needed to sit for six more games ... I’m not even questioning Chris’ injury. I’m telling you he was cleared to play subject to tolerance on his part, and the tolerance just apparently wasn’t there and he chose not to play,” Colangelo said, according to a report in the Toronto Sun.
“Whether he was mentally checked out or just wasn’t quite into it down the stretch, he wasn’t the same guy," Colangelo said. "I think everybody saw that, but no one wanted to acknowledge it.”
Colangelo also described the difficulty in building the team around Bosh.
“We tried in vain to put pieces around Chris. Different pieces, different styles. It didn’t work out. No matter what type of player we brought in, it didn’t seem to have the right mix with him as that centerpiece.”
Bosh is a five-time All-Star who played all of his seven seasons in Toronto. He averaged 24 points and 10.8 rebounds per game last season.
